Women's Health

Many Doctors Still Urging Yearly Pap Tests

Although national health guidelines say that some women can safely stretch the time between Pap test to three years, many doctors haven't gotten the message.

Researchers at the CDC evaluated data from two national surveys and found that most health care providers still recommended that women get an annual Pap test, even when a woman's test results and her medical history suggested it wasn't needed.

The researchers also looked at survey responses from 376 private office-based health care providers and 216 providers from hospitals and outpatient facilities.

"These findings are in conflict with the guidelines," says Katherine Roland, M.P.H., at the CDC.

National guidelines

The American Cancer Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists both say that women ages 30 and older should have both a Pap test and a human papillomavirus (HPV) test to help screen for cervical cancer. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, and certain types of HPV can cause cervical cancer.

If the results from both tests are normal, it's OK for a woman to wait three years before getting another Pap test.

"We found that only half the providers are using the HPV co-test," Roland says. The study was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Study limitations

Roland acknowledges that her study's results may not truly reflect doctors' practices because office staff often answered the survey questions, rather than the doctors.

And Elizabeth Poynor, M.D., at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, says that the HPV co-test was new when the surveys were done, in 2006. More doctors may be using the test today.

Dr. Poynor also says that the three-year interval applies only to women ages 30 to 60 who are healthy. Women with risk factors for cervical cancer -- such as exposure to the prescription drug DES (diethylstilbestrol), which has been linked to cancer -- may need more frequent screening.

She adds that it's important to tell women they still need an annual pelvic exam even if a Pap test isn't done.

Always talk with your health care provider to find out more information.

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October 2011

What Is a Pap Test?

A Pap test is a way for a health care provider to examine cells collected from the cervix to look for:

Infection

Inflammation

Abnormal cells

Cancer

For the Pap test, your health care provider will insert an instrument called a speculum into your vagina to spread the walls of the vagina apart to expose the cervix. He or she will gently remove cells by using an endometrial brush, swab, or small wooden spatula. The cells will then be placed into a vial of liquid or smeared on a glass microscope slide.

For the HPV test, your provider will also collect a sample of cells.

These samples will be sent to a lab for analysis.

Always talk with your health care provider to find out more information.